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SPC Foundation
Board of Directors
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Beth A. Horner
Chairman
Angela Beltz
Joseph G. Blanton
R. Michael Carroll
Kenneth P. Cherven
Stephen O. Cole
Paul Demirdjian
John W. Dosher
Theresa K. Furnas
Robert L. Hilton
William D. Law*
Bill McCloud
Frances Neu*
Steven Shepard
Shan Shikarpuri
Richard B. Winning
David Zillig
Directors Emeriti
Leon R. Hammock
Helen K. Leslie
Alfred T. May
Henry B. Sayler
Honorary Director
Wendell R. Ware
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Ex officio members
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St. Petersburg College held its 130th Commencement Ceremony at Tropicana Field on Saturday, May 7th. In his opening remarks, President Law commended the 2,746 students who earned 2,887 degrees from SPC this term and noted that graduates ranged in age from 16 to 75 years old and that female students outnumbered male students 2-to-1.
With this graduating class, the college has awarded 154,693 degrees since the college was founded in 1927. In this issue we highlight some of the special awards that were announced during the ceremony. Congratulations to all our graduates!
Sincerely,
Frances Neu
VP of Institutional Advancement &
Foundation Executive Director
St. Petersburg College
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Alum Honored at 130th Commencement Ceremony
U.S. Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R) was honored at Spring
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Congressman Gus Bilirakis 2016 Outstanding Alumnus |
commencement as SPC's 2016 Outstanding Alumnus. Bilirakis attended St. Petersburg Junior College before earning a B.A. from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Stetson University.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Bilirakis served four terms in the Florida House of Representatives (1998-2006) where he won bipartisan acclaim for his leadership efforts, including sponsoring the bill that would expand SPJC into a four-year institution making it the first community college in the state to transition.
Also honored were Courtney Kent, Apollo Award recipient and Amy Bhatt, Alumni Achievement Award recipient.
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Courtney Kent 2016 Apollo Award Winner
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Kent served as president of the Clearwater Campus Student Government Association and was St. Petersburg College's first Financial Assistance Services Peer-Advisor. He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the Student National Education
Association.
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(from left to right) Alumni Associations President John Brown, Dr. Bill Law and Amy Bhatt 2016 Alumni Achievement Award Winner
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Bhatt graduated with a B.A.S. degree in paralegal studies and was the Apollo
Award recipient in 2012. She served as Vice President of the SPC Legal Studies Society, President of the Honors College Student Consortium, was a National Model United Nations Delegate and member of the Golden Key International Honor Society.
The SPC Alumni Association presents these awards to honor graduates who demonstrate exemplary leadership, academic achievement and community service.
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New College Leadership Selected
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Dean of Communications Joseph Leopold (left) and Health Education Center
Provost Dr. Eric Carver |
Joseph Leopold has been selected as the new Dean of Communications and Dr. Eric Carver has been named provost of the Caruth Health Education Center.
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SPC Student in the Spotlight
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SPC Student and Award-Winning Pianist Melissa Petrescue
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As an award-winning concert pianist, Melissa Petrescue has performed with the Florida Orchestra and at Busch Gardens through connections she's made at SPC. Petrescue is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Management and Organizational Leadership, she credits SPC with opening doors for her educationally, musically and professionally. She describes herself as "a business major in college and a music major in life." Petrescue also is a recipient of the Robert and Mildred Baynard Ethics in Business Scholarship and the Vivian T. Greve Scholarship.
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SPC Alumni Class Notes
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SPC Alum Deniann Grant connects with Teach for America Students
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Class of 2012:
Dianna Grant
, A.A. in Communications. Grant was recently chosen as a finalist for the prestigious Teach for America Sue Lehmann Teaching and Learning fellowship. After SPC, Grant obtained a B.A. in English and History from the University of Florida. "Because I had people believe in me at SPC, I was always involved in leadership training," she said. "When I think about my identity and how I interact with people and other professionals, I realize that I learned the gist of that at SPC."
Class of 1987: Ken Donaldson
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A.A. and A.S. in Human Services. Donaldson just celebrated his 25th
year in private practice and 10 year anniversary of the release of his first book,
Marry Yourself First!
He works with executive teams in developing a more emotionally intelligent workplace.
Class of 1963: Stephen Montague, A.A. in Music. Montague is a freelance composer and conductor living in London since 1974. He is the Artistic Director for a large, multi-media event in France at Centre Pompidou-Metz. He is also working on a commission for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, UK.
To share your accomplishments with your fellow alumni or to receive the SPC Alumni Connection news updates, please fill out this short survey.
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Create a Legacy that Gives an Education 
Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities, IRAs, and gifts of property are some of the ways you can provide significant and lasting support to SPC. To learn how your planned gift can meet your financial objectives while supporting the work of the College and the aspirations of students, call us at 727-341-3302. Change a life today!
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